Secret Identities
by SilentThunder086
Summary: Someone affiliated with the Nubian Palace is leading a double life...and its not what you would expect!! (Episode 1 AU - Sabe/Obi)
1. Midnight Battles

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DISCLAIMER: All the Star Wars characters mentioned anywhere in this story belong to George Lucas. Not me. I'm just a lowly concession/cashier/usher girl who wants to write stories. So ha.

~*~Night before TPM~*~

The night was silent as the servant girl walked along the halls of the Nubian Palace. Servant girl? It was more like handmaiden. Yes, she was a servant, but a servant of high power. Not like the kitchen girl…gardener's daughter… Not like any of those. 

Just as quietly as she had been moving along the halls of her home, she ducked into one of the gardens frequented by the Queen and her closest servants. However, everyone else was asleep so this gave her free reign to do what she pleased in there. No guards dared to come around it, no servants wanted to walk inside of it - only two gardeners took care of it. 

In the center of the garden was a fountain which Queen Amidala loved to sit at. The space around it was cleared and would be the perfect place for her to practice. The girl set up a holovid console and programmed it to play back one of the duel scenarios which she had created earlier.

An image of a man appeared, brandishing a lightsaber. A smile crossed the girl's face as she withdrew hers from the belt she was wearing under her cloak. She took off the large outer garment and threw it aside. After igniting the silver-blue blade, she lowered it to the level of her opponent. Things were silent for a few seconds - but the clashing of the lightsabers filled the air all too quickly.

It took the girl all her concentration to get her opponent into a position which could allow her to strike him down. She faked a blow which drove the image back and when she did leap forward and struck, she connected with the side of it. The image went out a few seconds later, giving her something to smile about.

She had succeeded in beating the scenario.

Her Master would be pleased.


	2. News and Changes

Sabe Krigare, one of the handmaidens to Queen Amidala of the Naboo, was brutally awakened…by her friend Rabe. "What the - ?" she asked no one in particular as she threw aside the pillow that was used to bring her back to reality.

"Did someone have a late night last night?" Sabe pitched the pillow violently back to her friend Eirtae, who was sitting right next to Rabe. She then buried her head back into her pillow.

"Oh, come now," she said crawling over to her exhausted friend. "Who is it this time? Neren from the gardens?"

Sabe playfully hit her friend. "Come now," Yane, another handmaiden said. "Speak!"

"You know that no one around here is deserving of my interest. Especially not Neren." 

"Yeah," Rabe said with a smile, "though I personally think that you and Ean would make a cute couple." She was referring to her friend who was a member of Captain Panaka's armed forces. 

"If you two can get us together," she said lying back and staring at the ceiling, "then I'll give it a go…" She was silent for a few seconds and then added on as an afterthought, "I'm not saying I'll like it…" With that comment, the other four girls in the room burst out into giggles. 

After the moment died down a bit, a question popped into Sabe's mind. "Isn't today the day that the ambassadors from Chancellor Valorum negotiate terms of a treaty with the Trade Federation?" 

"I think so," Yane said as she adjusted her veil to the matching yellow dress which the handmaidens were to wear today. 

Before she could get out another word, everyone heard a knock at the door. Since Yane was the only one who was *completely* ready, she stepped out in the hall while the other girls continued their work. A few minutes later, she stepped back inside. "Everyone needs to get ready right away," she said. "Her Majesty has called a meeting for her cabinet after she meets with the Viceroy, yes, but she has also called for us to arrive a few minutes early. She wants us to be there when she initiates the actual contact." Sabe walked out of the fresher, brushing her teeth and aiming to hear better. 

"Sabe," Yane said as soon as she saw her. She pulled her friend off to the side. "Captain Panaka has requested that you not come with us." 

  
"What? Why?"

"I do not know. His guard said that he had something which he needed to speak to you about and that he would be along shortly before the initial meeting is to take place." Yane gave her friend a reassuring smile as she moved off to hurry the other girls along, who were all just about ready to go.

~*~*~

As Sabe pulled on her veil, she heard the buzzer sound at the door. She quickly checked her outfit over and, seeing as she forgot to put on one thing, quickly did so and tucked that under her dress. She headed over to the door and opened it, coming face to face with Panaka. "Sabe…come," he said. "We need to go someplace." He stepped aside and pointed down the hall. 

As the two were walking, the Captain had a grim look on his face. "I don't want a word of this let out to anyone," he said. "Not even your friends. Only the Queen and I know about this…and now you." He stopped at one of the doors and opened it. 

Sabe's eyes widened as she saw where they were. "But this is the Queen's dressing room!"

"I know…"

"Captain, what's going on here?"

The man turned around and shut the door behind them. "I cannot stay long… Do you remember how you were trained, along with the other girls, to impersonate the Queen if the moment would call for it?"

"Yes…but only one of us would be chosen… Captain…you mean…?"

"You were the one of the five which was able to impersonate Her Highness the best. I need you ready as soon as possible - you will need to do everything yourself…" 

  
"Why don't you send in one of the lower servants to help me? They could be of great use and they won't reveal - ."

She was interrupted as Panaka tried to shut the idea down. "If they are captured and tortured, the plan can come out and everything will be ruined."

"I will not be able to do this all on my own."

He stopped, thought for a few minutes, and spoke again. "All right. I'll send in one of the lower handmaidens. If they ask questions, you *are* the Queen and your friends are off doing errands." With that said, he left and headed for the throne room.

A few minutes later, a girl wearing a yellow and orange dress entered the room and quietly began to get things together to prepare the Queen for the day.

~*~*~

After Sabe adjusted the large feather headdress on top of her head, she sent the lower handmaiden away. After making sure that the door was locked behind her, she took out a comlink and keyed it up. She made a local call to one of the people of Theed.

An older man's face appeared on the other end of the comlink. It was definite that he was older - he had wrinkles across his face and his hair was beginning to thin out. "Your Highness," he said in a shocked tone. "What do I owe this pleasure?"

"Master," Sabe said with a chuckle. "Its me."

"Sabe?" he asked incredulously. "I can't believe its you!"

"They called me to become the Queen. It was one of those things which I didn't have a choice on - after all, my duty is to my Queen."

"Are they going to put you into a safer place?"

"I don't know," she said. "Depending on what happens I could be leaving this planet, I could be staying in the castle, or…" Her voice trailed off as both of them knew what would happen.

"…You could be put into the camps which they will all set up. I've seen it happen on several planets before." He was silent for a minute. "Sabe, my student, whatever you do please be sure that you are careful. You are the last born of this Jedi heritage. The others which are still alive are either in hiding or getting too old to carry the tradition on."

"Master, you be careful also." Sabe frowned, knowing that in the back of her mind the man would most likely be thrown into one of the impending camps. "This is going to be a trying time for us."

"I know, Sabe. I know."

Suddenly, Sabe felt that a presence was approaching quickly. She disconnected the line which she was using and quickly unlocked the door. The Queen entered the room and took off her headdress, alarmingly fast getting the rest of her outfit off until she was in her undergarments.

She grabbed the yellow-and-orange flame dress and, unaware that Sabe was still in there, turned around. "Oh!" she cried out when she saw her friend - unflinching when she was getting her dress on. "Sabe…the Captain was right…" 

"My first duty is to you, Milady…" The Queen bowed her head.

After the real Queen got on her dress, she approached her friend. She placed two fingers under her chin and lifted it up. "I'm Padme now," she said with a sad smile. "You're the Queen now, my friend." She reached around her neck and took off a necklace. Placing it around her neck, she saw it was her prized amulet given to her by her parents. 

"Your - er, Padme…"

"Give it back to me when Naboo is free again. Until then, you wear it."

"Thank you…"

As Padme pulled up her hood, she heard the door open. There stood the Captain.

"Its time," he said. The two girls looked at each other. 

It was time to face the Trade Federation.


End file.
